Toolbox

Morning, FHLA, tear one from the stack. Whose pen it is? Everyone's. Completed by, date, time - 04-48 , circle AM, supervisor, unit number, 780-247-1112, gate, RMT7, day, am I working alone? Yes, initial, working at heights - yes, operating equipment - yes, working outside - yes, dust, noise, ground conditions, over extension, twisting, bending, repetitive motion, awkward body position - yes, heavy lifting, line of fire, pinch points, falling objects, sharp edges. Flip the card - cones, signs, lock out, hoist ladder, wheel chokes, ear plugs, three points of contact, impact gloves, rubber boots, raincoat, take breaks, face shield and safety googles.

First thing Travis says in the mornig is, slowly – “Who.. the fuck …brought Miles here…”

Travis is a walking profanity:

- If you doing hot chick from behind and find out she has a dick. Would you finish?

- Yes

- I know right! That’s not gay

- No

- See, ya’ll looking at this all wrooong.

- Do more cocaine and let Jesus take the wheel.

After first week of dead exhausting work, guys start to say I am packing. Walk over to operators wash room, Cody talking with girl. Hey, LJ, how big is it? That big, answers himself and shows with hands one foot to haul truck girl driver.

The grind. The grind. The grind. All days are the same. Another one down.

Morning

4 am mist at the end of horizon near tree line looks like river. Lonely hunter trapper shack

-Gavender, he had crown lease for hindred years so that they cut around his lease

- 1800s gold rush town, Dublin Gulch. Haul troads from both sides – describes similar shack.

Pink F464 haul truck comes right at our bus:

- Don’t turn, Dale

- He a chicken?

- You will. win

Ray says pink is for breast cancer.

Toolbox

- Beanie, you'll check 8013, tightened tracks, he's not skipping, has to shut down before it sweats, chase rings, make sure there's no play. Make sure they take grease in. Drop the box few times.

- Can we get another day out of 8015

- 8015 is done and fucked nothing left. ilders, rollers, are just, no bushings, no bearings.

- Earling guys take four days to change strut on triple. Half of the time they sit staring at it. Stretch out job. 250 an hour.

- Komatsu, the only thing they do right is shovels. They bought technology.

- John Deere rather buy company in every category than say “no” to customer

- Just walk in any place with 20 inch impact, like you own the place…you never wear coveralls of company you work for.

They talk about new commissary shop assistant. Openly gay. Mock dialogue:

- Card doesn’t not work

- You have to stick it in

- I thought you’d never ask

Sunday is hamburger night. People want to go home:

- Time as counted, not served

- One more steak , yeah

Maintenance chat:

- location?

- Next left after the wash coming down the ramp on the granger road

-where blubbery used to be

-God that’s out there

Another toolbox

5 am :

- Good morning,  fucktards

- Good morning, Travis, how are you

- No one asked you, Miles

Accident report by Sunridge:

“ on June 15, Metal Haul mechanic , strut failed to rise, horse coker - jack under it, pressure from grease plug system, plug out, missed tech's head, went thru the mud flup, standing in line of fire, stored energy.”

Carl: I worked with him in Creek Construction, one of the best mechanics I knew, anyway he worked in his home shop and he had a spring and it he put a metal plate on it to put weight and started to weld. Spring exploded, he was killed instantl. Darien Porter, Sunridge, got oil (under his skin). Kev Wazovsky, Kazowsky, pressure blew his lips.

Zane: I hate calls from operators - dozer D11, they call me, I say is master switch on, yes, we checked twice. We come, 30 min drive, emergency shut off is still on. Fuck. I swear if you call me again, I will beat you to death with user manual. Read the fucking thing. We just wasted 4 hours of our day for this.

Carl: I only got two runners …I know you got your load counts..

”but” hangs up in the air.

We are in the middle of epic dust bowl. All soil has been ripped. Haul trucks raise clouds of dust. Wind blows, hard to see beyond 500 yards.

- Oilers lost yesterday? I ask

- Yes (exhaled sigh) again

Outdoor mobile lights on intersections,always on. Red bull, monster, coffee. Haul trucks in line , 50 or even 100 yard distance between them, to the crusher. Stopped ones, four way flashers on.

-We would have gone out there, but our brakes are stuck on

-for fuck sakes. Like are they on on

-lighting warning again

-roger doger